On Monday, Pope Francis met with Catholic bishops from Syria and Lebanon at the Vatican to discuss the “survival of Christians in the Middle East.”
As the Eastern church opened its synod of bishops, which is taking place in Rome June 20-25, the pope met with Patriarch Youssef Absi of Antioch and other members of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Absi encouraged Pope Francis to exert pressure on political leaders to “draw a red line,” prioritizing the security of Christians in the Middle East, at the meeting.
The Melkite bishops’ worry, expressed by the patriarch, is that widespread poverty, low living standards, and dangerous situations have resulted in a wave of exodus from the region, particularly among young people.
Pope Francis said: “You are rightly concerned about the survival of Christians in the Middle East — I too am worried — it’s a concern that I fully share.”
With eparchies in Argentina, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Venezuela, the Melkite church now has a global presence, according to the pope.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Pope Francis, who is based in Damascus, Syria’s capital. During a synod in Lebanon in 2017, Absi was elected as the Melkite patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and All the East.
Thousands of people have died in “beloved and martyred Syria” since Pope Francis began his pontificate, and millions more have fled the region as refugees, according to Pope Francis.
“The tragedies of recent months, which sadly force us to turn our gaze to the east of Europe, must not make us forget what has been going on in your land for 12 years,” the pope said.
During the discussion, Pope Francis reiterated his call for “an equitable and just solution to the tragedy in Syria” from both Syrian government and the international community.
“On more than one occasion I happened to meet and hear the account of some young Syrian who had arrived here, and I was struck by the drama he carried within him, by what he had experienced and seen, but also by his gaze, almost drained of hope, unable to dream of a future for his land. We cannot allow even the last spark of hope to be taken out of the eyes and hearts of young people and families,” the pope said.